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The Mission

The Burnt Rose has finished their interrogation of Phillipi; in his final agony, he revealed to the Knights that the 12th Street Vultures had employed the Backstreet Boys soldiers in their expansion to Anager. They Backstreet Boys had been tasked with driving the Anager native bands out from the canals and locating safe houses for the Vultures’ new operations. Up until this last month, things had been predictable for the Backstreet Boys: go out once or twice a week to recruit new gangs to the Vultures’ service or kill them. The work was difficult and dangerous, but the Vultures paid well. On the third day of the month, a Vulture had shown up unexpectedly at the Backstreet Boys' clubhouse on Back Street, the Vulture informed them that their services had been excellent and now the Vultures must ask another task: the shipments coming up the canals weren’t going as smoothly as expected and unsustainable losses were being taken. The exact nature of the losses were not made clear to the Backstreet Boys, but there was no doubt to the Boys that they would succeed where the lesser vassals had failed.

Guarding the smuggling barges had proven to be significantly easier than they expected and the Boys were mostly of the opinion that the lesser gangs must be stealing shipments from the Vultures as nothing particularly noteworthy had happened on any of the shipments so far. Tonight was likely to change that: the Vultures were bringing in one of their two annual shipments of Ditermite for their own personal use. If any shipment was going to be targeted, it would be this one and its significant wealth.

The squad was also joined by two new members: Wendell Ives, a former combat engineer who had newer, less legal ways of making a living, and a Doctor of medicine who preferred to keep things to themselves. Wendell, with his significant experience with military grade explosives and combat mech suits, would doubtless make himself useful to the squad. The Doctor’s healing touch would also likely be of use, provided his medical education was actually as extensive as he claimed.

The squad discussed various ways they could potentially use this shipment to disrupt the Backstreet Boys and the Vultures. Wendell and Isaiah were mostly in favor of attacking the barge en route and discussed the possibilities of capturing the leader of the Backstreet Boys; Phillipi’s information was quite detailed, he knew timetables, where the naval escort would leave the barge, how many of the Boys would be boarding the barge, and where the rest of the Backstreet Boys would be meeting the shipment for final transport overland.

After much debate, the squad decided their best course of action would be raiding the barge en route. The fewer overall guards at that point made it more likely they’d be able to stop the shipment overall. To that end, DeLuca provided Wendell with 1kg of plastic explosives, with which the engineer planned to use to incinerate the vessel.

The Canal’s Edge

DeLuca and two other knights loaded the squad into a hot-rod minivan, and raced them into Adanac blaring ethnic music. The ride might have been enjoyable, except there was only one seat in the van, and the vehicle’s suspension had not been upgraded to match the engine. DeLuca also had little respect for the traffic engineer’s work designing the roads and seemed to take extreme glee at driving the overpowered engine down the city’s dedicated bicycle paths. Once they reached the Adanac canal, the other knights shoved the squad out of the van, and DeLuca was already burning rubber before the doors even closed.

The squad spread out to find a suitable boat for their raid on the barge. Although many of the squad were able to find boats, it was the Doctor who was able to locate and secure a twin engine racecraft. It was far better than they had any reason to hope for. Katya took the tiller and they found a quiet dock to hide and wait for the barge.

As the night crept past midnight, a light mist settled on the surface of the canal further hiding the squad and muffling the sounds in the canal. Although the canal was of uniform width its entire length, here the buildings were closer to the edge, which caused the impression that the canal narrowed between a warehouse and a historic watch tower. Here also, the shadow of the warehouse further darkened the waters and should make their approach even more unseen.

As the clock crept passed midnight, the sounds of water lapping changed and the waves became more frequent as the water was disturbed by the passing of a large vessel. Soon the low hum of the large ditermite-electric motors could be heard across the water, and then out of the dark mist the position lights of the large barge could be seen.

As the barge became clearer and closer, Katya opened the throttle and the small ship raced into the canal and headed for the small boarding platform on the port bow of the barge. Although small and incredibly quick, the boat’s engines were tuned for racing and did not have functional mufflers. The engine roared and flames out of the exhaust as the boat raced across the canal and to the barge.

The Barge

Katya brought the boat against the barge’s boarding platform and the gang made ready to board the vessel. Their approach had been noticed, and one of the barge security officers was leaning over the rail with a handheld spotlight.

“Who goes there? Speak your business or be fired upon!”

Without waiting, Katya drew her pistol and fired up at the security guard. The electrical system powered up the electro-magnets and sent the projectile racing toward the guard with a sharp crack as the slug raced toward its target at several times the speed of sound. Guard dropped his light into the canal as he fell backward onto the deck clutching at his ruined shoulder where the projectile had impacted.

Even as Katya fired, Shena was rushing up the stairs to the barge deck. One of the Backstreet Boys and two of the barge’s deckhands barred her way. The Backstreet Boy reached for his chain flail, but Shena was already upon him. Made quick by her lifetime of living on the streets, she dashed passed him laying him out with her bat as she passed. He barely had time to recognize the threat by the time he lay cold on the deck.

Isiah leapt straight from the boat to the deck railing and unsheathed his blades hidden in his sleeves.

“Stand down or die” he growled in a menacing tone. The two sailors needed no further prompting and both of them rushed below decks not wishing to tangle with the boarding attackers.

The barge continued its passage down the canal; the captain, pilot, and helm on the weather-tight bridge were blissfully unaware of the chaos happening in the fog below them. As the barge passed between the tower and warehouse, a cloaked figure leapt from the tower and swung to the barge on a rope stretched across the canal. The figure landed near the last two Backstreet Boys still on the deck and threw back his cape revealing a brightly dressed man with a electrically charged long sword.

“Ha ha!” He exclaimed, “I am the Grand Commander! No more shall you trouble these water ways! You shall cease your nefarious actions at once and repent of your wicked ways lest I, the Grand Commander, bring your ways to a swift end with my sharp wit and blade!”

Although unsettled by the sudden appearance of the swordsman, and the threats from the assassin Isaiah, the two Backstreet Boys drew their flails and approached the Swordsman.

Wendell grabbed the charges, and scurried up the ladder. Upon reaching the deck, he took a quick look around the scene and triggered his mech-suit. Shena, seeing that the Backstreet Boys wished to challenge their passage, brandished her stick and charged down the deck. These Backstreet Boys proved to be more ready for her sudden arrival than the first and managed to deflect and block her strikes. Although she was quick, her poor diet did not provide her with an abundance of muscle and the heavily studded, leather jackets worn by the gang members proved to be adequate armor against her blows as well as many of the slashes from the Grand Commander’s sword.

Seeing that the Gang members were prevented from interfering, Wendell made his way below decks to place the charges on the determite and set the barge ablaze. Isaiah followed to ensure that the engineer would make it through to the engine room unmolested by any further gang members who lurked aboard the vessel.

On deck, the fight seemed to turn against Shena as the Backstreet Boys had much more experience in combat than she had. Their heavy blows managed to knock the stick from her hands, and forced her to draw her knife. Soon another heavy blow managed to knock her to the deck. Below, on the small boat, the Doctor heard Shena cry out in pain. The Doctor adjusted his eyepiece, no compatriot of his would die without at least some mild attempt to save them! He began sending energy waves toward the source of Shena’s scream. Shockingly, these energy waves did indeed begin healing the lacerations on Shena’s body.

The Grand Commander, seemingly unaware of the existence of anyone else in the world, continued to alternate between heavy blows with his electric sword and long monologues of how he would keep the streets safe and no criminal would be safe from the vengeance of his blade. Although he took several hits in return, with great effort, he managed to bring his blade down heavily against one of the Backstreet Boys. Finally the leather jacket was torn by the blade and the thug fell to the deck. Turning and seeing Shena about to take another hit, he lunged forward and ran the Backstreet Boy through.

By this point, Wendell and Isaiah had set the charges and returned to the deck. Like the Grand Commander, Isaiah rushed to Shena’s aid as alarm bells began ringing on the barge as the two sailors who had run finally notified the captain they’d been boarded. Disoriented and outnumbered, the final Backstreet Boy fell to a massive electric shock from the Grand Commander’s sword.

Wendell, seeing no further foes, to ensure it was ready for push off “Katya, I’ve set the charges, we have five minutes before they blow, make ready.” Katya untied the line she had secured to keep the boat from drifting and started the boat’s engines again.

Wendell continued, “I don’t know who that Grand Commander fellow is, but I hope he gets clear before the charges blow.”

The Doctor smiled, and made some adjustments to his implants. Through means kept to himself, he was able to manipulate the electromagnetic fields and send messages telepathically to people. The Grand Commander apparently got the message as he quickly leapt over the railing and plunged into the canal with a final shout of “Beware the Grand Commander, evil-doers!”

Isaiah helped Shena retrieve her stick and quickly the two of them rushed to the boat. As soon as they were aboard, Katya opened the throttles and the boat began making wake away from the barge. As they passed the Grand Commander, Wendell reached out and dragged the man onto the boat, the impending explosion of determinte would pose significant hazard to anyone in the water.

Escapes

Pulling to a quay a safe distance behind the barge, the squad quickly disembarked and scurried up the stairs. No sooner had the made it to safety behind some heavy metal trash bins, than a massive fireball lit up the night. Wendell had judged correctly, and the barge was aflame. A massive wave rushed down the canal in both directions, wiping out docks and sinking small boats. The wave pushed so much debris and sedmient that the river was blocked off at one end of the canal, and at the other end where the canal ended in a small port, the canal wall was collapsed by the water hammer. A few of the warehouses near the explosion were set ablaze, and the old tower collapsed into the canal.

The fire departments from eight districts responded to the explosion and managed to stop end the blazes quickly enough, but several textile warehouses and a granary were destroy, as were several apartments buildings for dock workers. Fortunately few lives were lost, other than the crew of the barge, only a few dozen dock workers were killed as most, who were not working, were attending a labor rally that had gone on for five hours longer than expected.

Although the squad had hoped to capture Eldridge R. Johnson, leader of the Backstreet Boys, the roar of straight pipe motorcycles made it abundantly clear he and his gang were not going to let the Vulture’s find out through the grapevine and were on their way to report the incident in person.

Likewise the Grand Commander had disappeared during the explosion. From the darkness, his voice rang out “Farewell fair allies! You have fought most bravely tonight, but this night has ended and tomorrow has began! Soon we shall meet again on the field of battle and long shall our enemies fear our names!”

Isaiah looked stepped back from the bins and looked at the nearest roof. The Grand Commander was attempting to hide behind a radio antenna a few centimeters thick.

“Really man, you think we can’t see you?” Isaiah leapt through the air. He wished to know who this masked man was. The Grand Commander quickly darted over the crest of the roof and leapt to another building.

“Farewell!” He shouted as he disappeared into the night. “We shall meet again soon!”

As it became clear that both their quarry and their new acquaintance had escaped, the squad made good their escape and returned to DeLuca with news of the shipment’s destruction.